Zone featuring mixed retail, residential development proposed

Town Board members are reviewing proposed zoning amendments that will allow mixed-use retail and residential space as part of a floating zone.

During a telephone interview last week, Supervisor Shannon Harris said recommendations from the town Zoning Task Force are expected to be ready in the next few weeks.

“It’s going to have a number of different options for developers,” she said. “If they want higher density they can qualify ... by doing specific things.

“They can offer public space (such as) a water fountain, a pocket park, a playground,” Harris added. “They can also build solar panels and have a certain percentage of renewable energy for their buildings if they want multiple units and more density.”

In an Aug. 17 draft from Laberge Group, a consulting firm, the proposed MixedUse Floating Zone would “encourage and direct mixeduse commercial/multi-family development to areas currently served by central water and sewer.” The draft also said the amendments would provide an incentive for developers to reuse older buildings, facilitate pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and work to preserve open space and rural character.

Under the proposal, the floating zone would be used in the Broadway Commercial

District, with a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet, and the section of the General Commercial District between River Road and Dick Williams Lane, where the minimum lot size would be 43,560 square feet.

The firm added that a project would not consist of more than two buildings, with one of the buildings having a mixed-use component. Applicants with approved mixed-use projects would be required to have a minimum of eight residential units per acre in the Broadway Commercial District and allowed one additional unit for every 5,445 square feet of lot area.

Projects in the General Commercial District would be required to have at least six units per acre and allowed one additional unit for every 7,260 square feet of lot area. Developers could also get a 20 percent increase in the number of residential units if at least one of the units is reserved for renters who meet eligibility requirements. A 10 percent increase in the number of units would be allowed if the project incorporates “high quality urban and pedestrian-scaled design elements” that include “attractive architecture that will enhance the surrounding neighborhood, placement of parking lots behind buildings, provisions for pedestrian connections between public sidewalks and parking areas, and public outdoor space adjacent to public sidewalks.”